Life in the Lions’ Pride with Elizabeth Laux, ’19
Written by Doug Goodnough
Hillsdale College has an impressive NFL lineage, from Howard Mudd to Chester Marcol to Jared Veldheer to Andre Holmes. Add Elizabeth Laux, ’19, to that mix.
Laux is in her second year as the assistant to Player Personnel and Football Administration for the Detroit Lions. She helps with the on-field roster and also handles other administrative and operational logistics for the NFL organization.
“I grew up watching Lions football,” said the Frankenmuth, Michigan, native. “I honestly don’t know what it was about football. I just started watching it and fell in love.”
When Laux arrived at Hillsdale, she wanted a part-time campus job she was passionate about, so she found herself on the sidelines of Muddy Waters Stadium as a student assistant for Charger football head coach Keith Otterbein and the athletic training staff during her four years on campus.
Hillsdale not only provided the opportunity that helped spark her future career path, but working for the Charger football program also allowed her to learn alongside great members of the Hillsdale athletics staff.
Balancing a rigorous academic schedule with the demands of her job with the Hillsdale football program was good training for her future NFL career.
“I had to learn the art of balance then,” Laux said of her college days. “Hillsdale prepared me for that.”
She said she uses her Hillsdale liberal arts education almost every day on the job.
“Going to Hillsdale, you have to take classes that might not be directly associated with your major,” said Laux, who majored in economics. “But I think honestly, that’s what’s helped me. I pull knowledge from classes that I took that had nothing to do with economics. In Psychology 101, I learned about cognitive thinking. I use cognitive thinking and behavior economics all the time, thinking about how you should separate yourself from evaluating a player versus how you might feel (personally) about a player. Having that background has filled me with what I think is my best skill set.”
Her experience with the Chargers eventually earned her an internship with the Detroit Lions after graduation. Working in the Lions’ public relations department, Laux quickly learned she wanted to make professional football her career.
After her internship with the Lions, she was selected from a pool of intern applicants from all 32 NFL teams to work Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida. Following that she completed another internship with the Indianapolis Colts. Eventually, a full-time position opened up with the Lions, and she headed back to her hometown team.
“It’s not so much an opportunity because I’m a female, it’s an opportunity because I’m qualified and I’m the best candidate for the job,” Laux said of being a female in a male-dominated business.
When speaking about the great male and female leaders she works for in the organization, she said, “It was never in my mind that there were going to be any barriers for me. It’s exciting because I really don’t think about it anymore.”
Currently, she has both administrative and player personnel duties. Laux said she assists both General Manager Brad Holmes and Chief Operating Officer Mike Disner.
Working at the Lions’ facility in Allen Park, Michigan, Laux said her day begins early and often ends late. One of her main duties is scheduling player workouts when roster spots become available. With injuries and transactions happening weekly, the team often brings in players not on the current roster to work out for the team. It is her job to make sure those visits go well.
“My role is very unique in that I know football, but I manage a lot of the operation of our player personnel department,” Laux said. “I do a lot of last-minute (preparation). The pressure’s on. And that’s where I completely thrive.
“You realize the people you work with are human beings that are after the same thing you are, and that’s trying to create a Super Bowl championship team,” Laux continued. “Those are the kinds of people I want to surround myself with, because they know what it takes to be a champion, not only in football, but also in life.”
Speaking of life, she doesn’t get much time off during the season but enjoys returning to her hometown to visit family. Laux also is strong in her Christian faith and is an active member of the Lions’ Bible study group. And she plays sand volleyball and pickup basketball to stay physically active.
Detroit has a young team that is getting a lot of attention for its talented roster, as well as being featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks television show this fall. Laux said she is proud of being part of a new era of Lions football.
“I just feel that there’s so much good momentum,” Laux said of the team. “I’m excited to be at Ford Field on Sundays. That’s the coolest part—getting to see all my work and all of the team’s work come to life. The future is really exciting and bright.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s new director of Alumni Marketing. He’s looking forward to connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in October 2022